CMS surveyors will be referring to recommendations set out by The Joint Commission last fall when looking for ligature risk and other environmental hazards, according to an article on the HCPro website.
Healthcare facilities are urged to assess environmental compliance against those Joint Commission recommendations, regardless of what organization they use for accreditation.
CMS said it would use those Joint Commission recommendations as it clarifies and updates guidelines for its surveyors.
Earlier, CMS had indicated it would convene its own group of experts.
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